A big question for the Philadelphia 76ers in the past has always been how they perform when Joel Embiid is not available. They have had a tendency to struggle mightily, but to begin the 2022-23 season, they are 2-0 without him after a 118-111 win over the Washington Wizards on Monday.
A big reason is Philadelphia has played to James Harden’s style a bit more when it is without Embiid. The Sixers can play at a faster pace; The Beard pushes the ball and gets others involved on offense.
Another reason is the Sixers are better equipped to succeed without him on the floor. Tyrese Maxey, Tobias Harris, De’Anthony Melton, PJ Tucker are among the players who can push the pace, which is a big help without Embiid.
“We have better players, too,” coach Doc Rivers told reporters. “We have more players and that helps, it really does. We have more guys that can play with the ball. James can play with it, obviously, and Tyrese can as well. Tuck is so smart. Tobias can play with the ball, and De’Anthony can play with the ball. So we just have more guys, more decision-makers, and it makes us a smarter basketball team.”
Rivers has always wanted to instill confidence in the Sixers that they can win without Embiid. It has been up and down in the first couple of seasons without the big fella, but it looks like they have found a rhythm.
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While the Sixers start small when Embiid is out, Rivers has turned to big man Montrezl Harrell often off the bench, and they have had success with him on the floor as well.
“Montrezl was huge,” Maxey told NBC Sports Philadelphia after the win on Monday. “Paul Reed got in and made an impact really fast and every time the big fella has to go out, we have to play collectively. He’s our leader, he’s our MVP. I say it all the time, but when he goes out, we have to come as one unit and try to still get the W.”
At the end of the day, it is obviously much better to have Embiid out there more often than not. However, it does help the Sixers in this case knowing they can win games when the big fella sits.
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